Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: PHOTO BY ALIYAH OTCHERE)There is more great music being made today than ever before. Yes, we said it. Whatever you may consider the “golden age” — the ’60s, the ’70s, the ’80s, the Jazz Age, the Baroque period, you name it — there is simply a greater quantity of top-flight creativity coming from every continent, every culture, every style, every genre today.Sorting through it? Well, that’s the problem. You can ask your kids, or ask your grandkids, or let the algorithms do their stuff. But let us give you a hand with our annual “Grandparents’ Guide,” here with…

(Image credit: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Contributor)Youth sports used to be a relatively simple line item in the family budget. Parents might pay a registration fee, buy a pair of cleats and celebrate the end of the season with pizza. That’s no longer the case.Today, youth sports have evolved into a sprawling, multibillion-dollar industry fueled by travel leagues, private coaching, tournament circuits and a growing ecosystem of apps and specialized services. According to recent data from Project Play, family spending on a child’s primary sport has surged by roughly 46% over the past five years, reflecting a…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Dear Wealth Wise: My husband just retired from his job due to early-onset dementia. I have heart failure and collect disability benefits. We owe $255,000 on our home and pay $8,500 a year in property taxes and homeowners insurance. Our mortgage rate is 5.34%. Utilities are around $399 per month. My husband wants to use his $300k 401(k) to pay down the mortgage. I want to move to a more affordable location. But we’re in a very walkable neighborhood close to a beautiful lake, and I hate to give it up. We argue about this every day.…

Economic challenges, such as rising labor and product costs driven by inflation and increasing lease rates, have impacted pet supplies retail operators, forcing several to file for bankruptcy protection, despite financial strength in the industry. The pet industry has shown economic strength after sales rose about 3.7% in 2025, reaching $158 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association‘s 2026 State of the Industry Report. Sales are projected to rise to $165 billion in 2026, with full-year growth expected to be about 4.4%, of which 2% is driven by inflation, the report said. Despite all of that good economic news, not every…

Barclays maintained its $100 Brent forecast for 2026 and warned that price risks are skewed higher. Goldman Sachs estimates global oil inventories are drawing at a record pace as Hormuz exports remain severely constrained. Brent and WTI rose in Friday trading as traders reassessed the chances of a U.S.-Iran diplomatic breakthrough. Risks to oil prices are firmly skewed higher amid plunging global oil inventories in the worst supply disruption in history, according to Barclays. The investment bank on Friday kept its $100 per barrel  forecast for 2026, but warned that the risks are skewed to the upside as the closure…

Tradecraft ILS Advisors has been launched as a new independent consulting and advisory firm focused on the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market by well-known industry executive and former AXIS ILS leader Kyle Freeman.With Tradecraft ILS Advisors, Freeman aims to work with organisations to help them in their strategic decision-making, transaction negotiations, contract structuring, and analysis, of insurance-linked securities opportunities and risk transfer arrangements. The consultancy will work with both new market entrants and experienced ILS market participants that are looking to innovate in the space, while presumably Freeman’s experience would also be invaluable to investors looking at the asset class. Freeman…

(Oil Price) – Top EU officials said Friday that oil and gas prices are expected to remain elevated through at least the end of 2027, with the fallout from the Iran war likely to keep pressure on inflation and economic growth. Speaking after a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Cyprus on Friday, EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said higher energy costs are now expected to drive inflation to 3.1% this year and 2.4% in 2027—well above the bloc’s earlier forecast of 1.9% for this year. The concern is no longer just fuel prices themselves. Once energy inflation gets loose, it tends to…

Summer is almost here, and for much of America, that means one thing: heading to a beach.But with so many of them available—ranging from isolated, unspoiled nature to crowded party venues—how can you choose where to spend those precious summer vacation days?Fortunately, Dr. Beach—aka Stephen Leatherman, who has been reviewing beaches for three decades—has put out his annual ranking of America’s Best Beaches to help you decide.Hawaii’s Poipu Beach, on the island of Kauai, tops Dr. Beach’s rankings for 2026. Still, it’s not the most expensive beach on the list, with homes there listing at a median price of $1.4…

Miodrag Ignjatovic | E+ | David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesU.S. consumers will shell out more for everything from fuel to hot dogs and hamburgers heading into Memorial Day weekend as the Iran War reignites inflation.Total inflation for shoppers rose 3.8% in April from the same month a year ago, the highest annual rate since 2023, according to federal government data released this month. Prices for travel, recreation and food saw especially sharp increases, draining Americans’ wallets as they ring in the unofficial start of summer.”They’re not going to be happy about what they see,” said Stephen Juneau,…

pros and cons Pros Ruggedized package that’s ideal for heavy outdoor use.Runs Windows 11 and Copilot+ features.Lots of expansion possibilities. Cons Expensive.Heavy.Screen is a bit dim in bright light. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.While laptops and PCs dominate the office space, they’re not always the best form factor for taking compute power out of the comfort and safety of the workspaces. This is where tablets come into play. They’re not only more portable than laptops or desktops, they’re far easier to ruggedize. Sure, performance isn’t as good as what we’d expect from a more traditional system,…